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Fiction A to Z August 2019
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| The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire LombardoWhat it is: a sweeping family drama that follows Marilyn and David Sorenson and their four adult daughters over one challenging year. Alternating chapters illuminate the previous 30 years in the Sorenson home.
What kind of challenges? A teenage son given up for adoption at birth reappears, but there's also an unexpected pregnancy, the normal disappointments of early adulthood, and -- of course -- the friction inherent in any loving, close-knit family. |
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The Chelsea girls : a novel
by Fiona Davis
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine's Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
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| The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan StradalFeaturing: sisters Helen and Edith, who haven't spoken since an inheritance came between them, and Edith's granddaughter Diana, who brings them back together.
What it's about: beer and beer-making, though you could be a teetotaler and still enjoy this heartwarming story and its complicated, relatable female protagonists.
For fans of: sweeping family sagas like Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread or food-friendly tales like Viola Shipman's The Recipe Box. |
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Keeping Lucy
by T. Greenwood
Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson's heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the "feeble-minded." Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on. But two years later, when Ginny's best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth--its squalid hallways filled with neglected children--she knows she can't leave her daughter there. With Ginny's six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines--turning Ginny into a fugitive. For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy.
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| Heroes of the Frontier by Dave EggersStarring: newly single mom Josie, who is leaving her failing Ohio dental practice behind and taking the kids on a not particularly well-thought-out trip to Alaska, where she rents an RV and plans, ultimately, to stay.
Why you might like it: lots of things go wrong along the way, but Josie's quest to start afresh is full of humor. While this shaggy dog story won't be for everyone, those who want to float along for the adventures of three complex characters will enjoy the vivid writing.
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| The Reminders by Val EmmichWhat happens: After the sudden death of his partner, Sydney, Gavin sets fire to everything that reminds him of his devastating loss and flees to friends in New Jersey. There, his hosts' ten-year-old daughter -- who remembers everything that has ever happened to her -- convinces him to help her write the perfect song in exchange for her memories of Sydney.
Read it for: the heartwarming friendship between two quirky characters.
About the author: Actor Val Emmich is the author of Dear Evan Hansen, the novelization of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. |
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| Talk to Me by John KenneyWhat it's about: An ill-timed tirade goes viral and leads to the loss of news anchor Ted Grayson's job and his reputation. Meanwhile his wife wants a divorce and his daughter's not speaking to him.
Why you might like it: Despite his flaws, Ted's growing awareness of his mistakes makes him a character to root for. The sharp commentary about social media and viral videos is on point too.
Reviewers say: "Bittersweet, darkly funny" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel KhongWhat happens: After a broken engagement, untethered Ruth agrees to move back in with her parents for a year as her father's memory problems turn to dementia and worse.
The structure: Alternately sad and funny, the book is organized in short vignettes, much like a diary, as Ruth takes care of her parents and takes small steps towards building a future for herself.
Want a taste? "Today a man found Dad's pants in a tree lit with Christmas lights.'" |
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| I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillanWhat it's about: Though she's a successful optometrist and has a full life with her daughters and friends, Georgia Young still feels stuck. So she's decided to visit all of her former flames to tell them what they meant to her, and to get some perspective on why those relationships failed.
Why you might like it: Engaging, humorous, and with wonderfully realistic characters, this is a heartwarming tale of a woman finding her way. |
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